Illuminated house number lighting fixture



Dec. 31, 1957 R. P. ROSEN ILLUMINATED HOUSE NUMBER LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Jan. 7, 1954 Ea L-AI H INVENTOR. KUGEN P. RosEN Z? A TTO/P/YEK VIII/VIII /.9 5y 6.

sin-s5" United States Patent ILLUMINATED HOUSE NUMBER LIGHTING FIXTURE Ruben P. Rosen, Philadelphia, 2a., assignor to Progress Manufacturing Company, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 7,, 1954, Serial No. 402,792

1 Claim. (Cl, 40-132) This invention relates generally "to mounting means for elements which are in the form of numerals o O her characters and more particularly is concerned with an arrangement wherein such mounting means is associated with a fixture panel which affords. a background against which the aforementioned elements are sharply defined.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide means for optionally mounting symmetrically on a translucent fixture panel an odd or even number of separate opaque elements each in the form of a numeral or other character.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such mounting means which may be incorporated in the fixture without material change in the basic construction of the latter and without detracting from the appearance thereof whether or not the opaque elements to be mounted are actually in use.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide elements to be mounted characterized by the ability to be flexed for shorteningthe eflective lengths thereof to permit quick mounting and dismounting without the use of special tools. Y

And still another object of this invention is to provide a set of such elements each of which is adapted for use interchangeably with the others.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that said invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and general arrangement of parts, all as described in detail in the following specification, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as fully pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor house number lantern embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a partial elevational view of the front panel of the lantern shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is the same as Figure 3 but shows the element in partially dismounted condition;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 5--5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged bottom view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical section on line 7-7 of Figure 2; and

Figure 8 is a full face view of one of the flexible elements showing the tabs by means of which it is secured in place.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Figure 1, an electric light fixture in the form of an outdoor house number lantern is shown for the purpose only of illustration. The lantern shown comprises a holder body 10 to the rear of which there is secured a wall plate 11 and from there depends a cage 12. The basic construction of the lantern is conventional, and therefore, a detailed description is believed to be unnecessary to a full under- 2,817,914 Patented Dec. 31 1957 standing of the present invention. However, it should be noted that the front side of the cage 12 includes a rectangular panel in the form of a glass plate 13 which preferably is translucent, and each end of the cage includes a panel 14 made of sheet material, preferably metal, the panel being provided with a flange 15 which overlies the associated end portion of the glass plate panel 13.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the cage 12 carries a set of three separate elements 16, 17 and 18 made of sheet material which is flexible and resilient and which preferably'is opaque, for example, black spauldite of a suitable thickness. The flexible elements 16, 17 and 17 are each provided with a pair of longitudinally alined integral tabs 19 and 20 which extend outwardly therefrom in opposite directions respectively from the top and bot tom thereof. Each tab is provided with a transversely extending terminal edge 21 and with a pair of outwardly; converging side edges 2222.

For mounting the elements 16, 17 and 18, the cage 12 isprovided with a pair of preferably identical elongated mounting members 23 and 24 which extend respectively across the top and bottom of the glass plate panel 13 in parallel spaced relation. These mounting membersdare made of sheet material, preferably metal, and each is provided with a longitudinal bend 2 5 which divides the mounting member into a pair of mutually overlying sec tions 26 and 27, the latter being greater in width in order 'to provide a. longitudinally extending ledge 27.

The section 26 is disposed in coplanar relation to the flanges 1515 respectively of the cage end panels 14-14, and the section 27 is disposed between the section 26.and the glass plate panel 13, the opposite endportions of the section 27 being extended respectively beyond the 0p. posite end portions of the section 26 and each being disposed in underlying relation to the associated cage end panel flange 15 for securement thereto, as by a rivet 28. For receiving the tabs 19 or 20 the mounting member is provided with nine openings in the form of side pockets 29 which are formed by pressing outwardly longitudinally spaced marginal portions of the section 26, the inside shape of the pockets thus formed being complemental to that of the tabs 19 or 20 to be received thereby. It will be observed that an odd number of pockets 29 are provided and that the pockets are symmetrically positioned about the principal axis of the fixture as viewed from the front, that the pockets are uniformly spaced and that the mounting member 23 is disposed with the openings into the pockets presenting downwardly while the mounting member 24 is disposed with the openings into the pockets presenting upwardly.

In order to dismount an element 16, 17 or 18, the element may, for example, be flexed so as to withdraw the tab 19 from its pocket 29 by shortening the distance between the tabs 19 and 20, as illustrated in Figure 4. Then the flexible element is lifted so as to withdraw the tab 20 from its pocket 29 and thus fully dismount the flexible element. Upon being released the flexible element will be restored to its normal unflexed condition by its inherent resilience. To remount an element 16, 17 or 18, the element may, for example, be placed with the tab 20 in its pocket 29, whereupon it is flexed so as to shorten the distance between the tabs 19 and 20 and bring the tab 19 into alinement with its pocket 29. The ledge 27' is provided for facilitating the aforementioned alinement, as will be apparent. The flexible element may then be released, whereupon it will be restored to its normal unflexed condition by its inherent resilience, the tab 19 being It will be noted that the flexible elements need not be in the form of numerals, but may be in the form of other characters. Whether the flexible elements are odd or even in number the mounting means lends itself to a symmetrical arrangement of the flexible'elements; No special tools are required for dismounting and remounting the flexible elements since the same may be effected by using the hands alone. When suitable contrasting colors are chosen for the flexible elements and the plate glass panel 13, the flexible elements will be sharply defined in the light of day and will be equally well defined in the dark of night when the electric current is turned on. The mounting means for the flexible elements may be incorporated in an electric light fixture without materially changing the basic construction of the latter and without detracting from the appearance thereof whether or not the flexible elements to be mounted are actually in use. The flexible elements actually in use may be selected from a set of such elements each of which is adapted for use interchangeably with the others and in any pair of ver tically alined pockets 29 respectively of the mount-mem bers 23 and 24.

It will be understood, of course, that the device as herein shown and described is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without any departure from the general principles or real spirit of the present invention. For example, the mounting means for the flexible elements might be associated with fixtures other than electric light fixtures and they might be made of bar stock instead of sheet material.

Accordingly, it is intended to claim the present invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claim.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

In combination with a lighting fixture cage having a translucent panel, a pair of elongated mounting members extending horizontally across said panel and fixed in pposed vertically spaced parallel relation to one another intermediate the top and bottom edges of said panel, and a plurality of separate elements extending between said members and mounted thereby for quick dismounting and remounting thereof, said elements being made of flexible, resilient opaque sheet material, and being in the form of characters each provided with a pair of integral tabs extending outwardly therefrom in opposite directions, each of said mounting members being made of sheet material, and being longitudinally folded upon itself to thereby afford a pair of mutually closely overlying longitudinally extending sections, one of said sections being provided with longitudinally spaced areas laterally offset respectively from the other section to thereby form a series of longitudinally spaced individual pockets having their openings presenting away from the folded edge of the member in which said pockets are formed, said mounting members being disposed with the pocket openings of one member facing those of the other, the tabs of each of said elements being projected freely into a pair of said pockets asso ciated respectively with said mounting members to facilitate withdrawal thereof when the element is flexed to reduce the distance between its tabs preliminarily to dismounting the element, the latter when fully dismounted and released being restored to its normal unflexed condition by its inherent resilience.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,065,444 Greenberg June 24, 1913 1,547,120 Hamilton July 21, 1925 1,933,013 Hamilton Oct. 31, 1933 2,125,437 Geary Aug. 2, 1938 2,126,008 Hamilton Aug. 9, 1938 2,140,033 Shaw et al Dec. 13, 1938 2,163,298 Wamser June 20, 1939 2,298,940 Hayes Oct. 13, 1942 2,452,667 Lambert Nov. 2, 1948 2,504,331 Hopp Apr. 18, 1950 w in 

